As some people try to adopt a Raw Diet they get discouraged if they eat something cooked and give it all up thinking that they are a failure and can't do it. Whoa Nelly! That kind of extreme "All-Or-Nothing" thinking is too harsh. Where is the love? Give yourself a break and realize that every little bit of raw, fresh, whole, delicious, nutritious food you add to your diet is a step in the right direction.
If you're not ready to go 100% Raw there are many ways to gradually add raw foods into your lifestyle at a pace that's best for you. The key is to think about what you can ADD to your diet rather than what you cannot have. Look through these ideas and see if any of them sound like they'd work for you:
1. Drink a green smoothie every day! This is the #1, best first step. Just doing this will add a ton of nutrients to your body and decrease cravings for cooked food. You will also find that you start to crave fruits and vegetables because your body loves how they make you feel!
2. Eat raw for breakfast and lunch, then have a healthy cooked dinner. Fruits and smoothies are easy to substitute for breakfast and a big salad is great for lunch. Dinners are a little more difficult because you are usually eating with your family and you are probably used to having a heavier meal. As you discover good raw dinner recipes and learn how great it feels to be satisfied but not stuffed and tired after eating dinner you can switch to a raw dinner, too.
3. Choose one day a week to eat all RAW. After a couple of weeks add a second "All Raw" day, then add another, until soon you're all raw every day!4. Add fruits and/or veggies to every meal and eat them first. Then if you want other food, go ahead and eat it.
One big key to success is to remember that if you feel hungry - eat more! Fruit is particularly good due to the carbohydrates and natural sugar that is slowly absorbed into your body. Make your own raw trail mix with nuts and dried fruits to snack on when you are out and about. Keep bananas, apples or oranges with you for times when you get hungry but aren't near any good foods. You will naturally start wanting less to eat after you have been eating raw for awhile because you will be getting so much more nutrition from your food you won't need as much of it to satisfy and fuel your body. The best thing is to listen to your body and what it needs. You will find as you start feeding your body the best foods that you will start knowing just what your body needs to thrive!
Just do what you can - improve a little every day - and love yourself enough to take care of YOU. You're awesome and you are worth it!!
